


return of the

by captain_fives



Series: victories and deaths [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo & CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives are Twins, Canon Divergence - Order 66, Clones Are Naturally Affectionate, Emotional Roller Coaster, Everyone Gets A Hug, Family, Family Fluff, Gen, Happy Ending, Hugs, Implied/Referenced Murder, Mando'a Language (Star Wars), Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Medical Procedure, Palpatine Told One Truth, Panic Attack, Past Character Death, Recovery, Reunions, Rightful Destruction of Sith Artifacts, Siblings, Sith Temples (Star Wars), back from the dead, i mean it bug off, no clonecest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:20:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26975776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captain_fives/pseuds/captain_fives
Summary: After the defeat of the Sith Lord, the galaxy starts piecing itself back together, and Captain Rex takes part in one last mission before they can all finally take a break. Palpatine is dead, but there's a lot to clear out of his hidden Sith temple.His trophy room yields some entirely unexpected finds.
Relationships: CT-21-0408 | Echo & CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555, CT-21-0408 | Echo & CT-5597 | Jesse, CT-21-0408 | Echo & CT-6116 | Kix, CT-21-0408 | Echo & CT-7567 | Rex, CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555 & CT-5385 | Tup, CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555 & CT-5597 | Jesse, CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555 & CT-6116 | Kix, CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555 & CT-7567 | Rex, CT-5385 | Tup & CT-6116 | Kix, CT-5597 | Jesse & CT-6116 | Kix, CT-5597 | Jesse & CT-7567 | Rex, CT-6116 | Kix & CT-7567 | Rex, CT-7567 | Rex & CT-5385 | Tup, Dogma & CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555, Dogma & CT-5385 | Tup, Dogma & CT-6116 | Kix, Dogma & CT-7567 | Rex
Series: victories and deaths [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1905277
Comments: 39
Kudos: 181





	return of the

**Author's Note:**

> The last oneshot was unquestionably _death_ , so this one's going to be a victory.

They've done a lot of strange things during the war, but clearing out a Sith Temple is definitely one of the strangest, if not the most cathartic. 

As he stares up at the door that had been marked "trophy room" on the archaic map, he wonders how many things behind it are easy to break. Hopefully plenty - the other squads had got the easier rooms: holocrons to be sorted through, downloaded if deemed necessary, and dropped from the top of the winding staircases with a satisfying _crunch_ ; scrolls in the Sith's cursed language to be digitised and then gleefully torn to pieces; weapons to be violently dismantled. Wolffe had smugly sent a video of Boost and Sinker hurling several explosive devices at an ornate throne, watching it shatter in the explosion, their General looking on with what he can only guess is approval behind the mask.

Rex is itching to break something.

The heavy security door looms in front of their small squad like it's laughing at their hesitation, and he scowls as he takes it in. 'Almost don't want to open it. Who knows what's back there.'

There's a murmur of assent from behind him, Jesse walking forward to kick at the durasteel. 'Nothing good. Might as well get it over with and move on to the next room once we've worked out what that _demagolka_ 's twisted trophies are.' His face twists in anticipated disgust (having hooked his helmet to his belt long ago) and he steps forward to slice into the access pad, running through the codes Stone found in the late Chancellor's apartment. 'Who's looking forward to this? Because it's not me.'

Rex shakes his head, a faintly amused smile creeping onto his face. 'Just get the door open, Jess.'  
'Alright, alright.' There's the faint sounds of a datapad for a few long seconds, before Jesse speaks up again. 'I still think Cody should have let us all have a potshot at the _darjetii_ bastard's corpse,' he grumbles, and the Captain can't disagree with him. He got the killing shot in during the fight, but he wouldn't have said no to a few more.

When the door finally opens with an ominous rumble ( _far_ too dramatic, in Rex's expert opinion) the large room behind it is cast in a faint glow from the rows and rows of - 'Are those bacta tanks?'  
'Looks like it, sir,' Kix replies, making his way forward with DC-15 in hand. 'High-end ones, too.' He stops by the closest one, tapping away at the attached monitor. A long-unused light takes a split second to illuminate the tank properly, and Rex reels back, because it's a _clone_ inside.

One he _recognises_. 'Slick?'

Kix's head snaps toward him in shock. 'The sergeant from Christophsis? But I thought they executed him for treason? It was confirmed by a medic from the Barracks, and he's _definitely_ alive right now, at least according to this monitor!'  
'Trophies...' Jesse murmurs, staring down the rows, his face a mask of awful realisation. 'Living mementos of his influence and his victories. Was he telling the General the truth after all? Could he really bring back the dead?'  
Rex's brows draw together. 'Maybe so, but at what cost? You can't just play with the Force like that.'

Boil - on loan to their squad with a few others from Ghost Company, to keep them busy while Cody helps General Kenobi deal with a staggering amount of paperwork - makes a horrified noise from the other end of the room, one hand on Wooley's shoulder as the younger _vod_ retches. 'There's bodies here. Civilians, I think... hard to tell.'  
'Lives for lives,' whispers Kix, finally breaking the awful silence. 'I'm considering Jesse's stance on the potshots even more valid now.'  
Rex grits his teeth, making his way down the row. He glances at another tube, and flicks on the lights, unflinching at Jesse's startled intake of breath. 'Dogma.'  
'Oh, gods,' the ARC whispers, staring, before his eyes suddenly go wide. 'Captain... you don't think...?'

Rex glances at him curiously, wondering what's wrong.

Then it hits him, and he darts into the rows, Kix and Jesse on his heels.

* * *

Rex makes his way into the Coruscant Barracks medical bay the next day, having exchanged his armour for fatigues and trying to breathe past his heart pounding in his chest. Kix looks similarly shaken when he appears from the medics' office, though it is quickly replaced with a determined set to his jaw as he leads the Captain past the rows of alcoves and medcots - many of them contain one or more Returned occupants, either resting, talking to their neighbours, or accompanied by friends. Not all of them are _vode_ , but they make up the majority, and Rex's hands ball into fists at the haunted cast to several of the faces. Some recognise him, and nod, faint smiles on their faces. _Thank you for what you did_ , they say, without any words needed, and the tension in his nerves drains just a little at the sight.

Kix stops just before the end of the room, peeking past a curtain and smiling at what he sees. 'Hey, _vod'ika_. You're finally awake.' He pulls the curtain open a little, ushering Rex in, and moves to check the nearby monitors. 'I had to leave you until later to check on your brain functions, but you seem to be doing fine.'

The dazed _vod_ looks blearily up at them from the cot, recognition dawning in his eyes. '... Kix? Captain?' He struggles to raise himself on shaky arms, and Rex moves to raise the head of the bed, adjusting the pillow behind his little brother's back. Kix's smile brightens as he pulls a hoverstool over to sit beside the cot, datapad in hand. 'That's good. You remember who we are. Do you recognise this place?'  
'... 's the... medbay. Not.. not the _Resolute_ , though. The barracks.'  
'And your name?'  
'Tup. I'm Tup.'

His face bleeds into exhausted relief as he speaks, and he reaches shaky hands out for Rex, who shifts to wrap him in a snug embrace, eyes burning with unshed tears. 'Yeah. You're Tup.'  
'I thought... I was _dying_ , Rex. On Kamino. How'd I get here?' He glances around the room, and his eyes lock on the other cot, its occupant still unconscious. '... Dogma?'

Tup looks up at his _ori'vod_ , suddenly fearful. 'But... but he's dead. Am I still dead? Captain?'  
'You're alive, Tup. It's a very long story, and it should really wait until you're rested. But I _promise_ you, you're alive. _Ori'haat, khi'vod_.'  
'Why's he still asleep?' comes the question, and Kix runs a careful hand through Tup's tangled hair, soothing. 'I thought it would be better if you were awake first. Given how he died... he's going to need a lot of reassurance. Having a batcher or squadmate nearby seemed to be the most effective for some of the other Returned.'  
'Can... can I see the others, too, if they're still around? Jesse? Fives?'

Rex holds his little brother tight, honing in on the grip on his shirt - weak, yes, but _living_ , and hums in thought. 'After Dogma's back, okay? Don't want to crowd him when he wakes up.'  
'... Alright,' Tup concedes quietly, and presses his face to Rex's shoulder.

He's still breathing. Still here.

Rex unclenches his fists.

* * *

Dogma rouses not long afterwards, and the heart monitor sends out a high-pitched alert as he begins to panic, clutching at his shirt. 

Rex is quick to swap positions, pulling the shaking _vod_ into his arms and murmuring softly as Dogma sobs into his hands, curled tight against his brother's chest. Kix darts in a second later, quietly producing a hypospray from one of his pockets - always prepared as usual. He crouches next to the cot, one hand hovering by an elbow. 'Dogma, listen. You're in the medical bay at the Coruscant Barracks. Can you do a breathing exercise and compose yourself on your own, or do you need a sedative?'

Dogma's breath hitches violently, one red-rimmed eye peeking from behind his hands to lock onto Kix's calm face, and he extends a trembling arm, flinching slightly at the sting of the injector. The medic disposes of the instrument quickly, moving back to hold his brother's hand with both of his own, thumb moving against the clenched knuckles. 'Alright, that's good. Just keep breathing, it'll take effect in a few seconds.'

Tup shifts on the other cot, turning onto his side. 'Hey. Dogma, it's okay. I'm right here, you'll be fine.'  
'T... Tup...?'  
'Yeah, _vod'ika_. We've got you.'

Dogma makes grabby hands for his batchmate, and Kix helps Tup off his medcot and onto the other, Rex shifting so the two of them can curl up together. Dogma hides his face in the crook of his brother's neck, heaving sobs beginning to peter out, and the older _vode_ leave them be, Kix signalling to Tup that he'll be back to check on them both later.

The next day, Echo comms with an ETA, and Kix sets to work on the final bacta tank.

* * *

The _Havoc Marauder_ finds itself stuck in a minor delay coming into the barracks hangar, but Rex heads down to the medbay on time anyway, greeting Kix at the door and making conversation as the two of them head down to the end of the hall, passing Tup and a much calmer Dogma, who are playing sabacc on one of the medcots. Dogma manages a shaky smile as they pass, and Tup perks up at the sight of them, a silent question in his eyes. 'In a bit, Tup'ika,' Kix says, grinning. 'Let Echo have some time first.' 

Tup huffs in mock annoyance but returns to the game, only to find Dogma has laid out a winning hand. 'Hey!'

Rex shakes his head at the antics, heart full as his brothers start their return to something approaching normal. ' _Marauder_ got stuck in traffic, apparently,' he says to Kix, who chuckles as he taps at his pad. 'Told Echo to come down to the medbay as soon as he could manage.'  
'You didn't tell him anything else?' the medic asks, raising an eyebrow, and Rex lets out an amused snort. 'And spoil the surprise?'  
'Hmm. Fair.'

The last alcove's single occupant is blinking sluggishly awake when they enter, and Rex stops short in the curtain's gap as everything hits him all at once. He's been holding it in since they cleared out the trophy room, but seeing Tup and Dogma and holding them in his arms the day before had shivered a web of cracks into his practiced mask. Crossing the room and sitting on the edge of the cot, he takes his brother's hand in his - warm and solid and so impossibly _alive_ \- and doesn't bother to hold back the tears. 

A pair of new voices reach them from further up the hall, one audibly sporting a grin. There's a patter of feet outside the curtain and a clatter as it opens; and Jesse enters with another familiar face, paled in shock as he stares at the figure on the medcot, whose eyes go wide as he clumsily sits up. 

'Echo?'  
 _'Fives.'_

Echo practically throws himself across the alcove towards his twin, and Rex barely has time to move away so as not to get bulldozed, eyes unashamedly wet as his _khi'vode_ grab onto each other and squeeze tight. Fives sobs, fingers digging into his brother's armour with what little strength he has, Echo whispers softly in Mando'a through every choked breath - and Rex has to hold them both, pulling them into his embrace and pressing his face to Echo's hair, Fives' head resting safely against his shoulder.

They draw him in like it's the most natural thing, Echo choking out a laugh as Jesse and Kix give in and join the group, wriggling onto the edge of the cot. There's another scrabble of feet outside the curtain, and Tup comes barrelling in, tired of waiting, with Dogma shuffling cautiously behind.

Fives immediately reaches for Tup through a fresh wave of tears; Echo shifts so that the younger _vod_ can leap into his brother's arms and curl close. Kix muses absently that he's glad the medcots are built sturdy, Jesse wheezes out a wet chuckle, and Dogma lets Rex draw him into the circle of an arm, melting into the hug as Fives brushes a hand over his head.

They stay like that for what feels like hours, holding each other. Safe. _Alive_. Tomorrow, Cody and General Kenobi will get a day off from paperwork, and they will pick up Anakin and Ahsoka and Anakin's new children, and there will no doubt be more visits and more tears and more of this, just sitting and embracing. But for now, it's the seven of them in a tiny medbay alcove, and the knowledge that they have the rest of their lives ahead of them.

'This is real, right?' Fives manages to croak, and Rex squeezes him tight, kisses his forehead; his little brother, his dear friend, who saved them all.

'It's real, Fives. You did it.'  
'...We won?'  
'We won.'

'... Well, thank the Force for that,' the ARC huffs out, and even through his tears, Rex can't help but laugh.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: captain-fives


End file.
